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How To Root Samsung Galaxy S5 to Blast Past the iPhone

Samsung sold over 11 million Galaxy S5 units in the first month of release, meaning that it’s surging past sales for the S4 and making Apple a bit skittish. With so many people using the Samsung Galaxy S5, we need to find the best ways to root the phone so that you can go home and get all the advantages that come with an Android.

When rooting you can find secret apps, improve your battery and automate different parts of your life.

While the Galaxy S5 does have some incredible features, you can learn how to root Samsung Galaxy S5 to receive even more features. Only after rooting your device will you be able to unlock the true potential of your smartphone.

Prerequisite

Rooting is one of the most popular hacks on Android devices, with millions of users rooting their Android smartphones and tablets. However, rooting is a risky process and it can brick your phone. Also, you’ll void your manufacturer warranty once you root your device.

That being said, the methods mentioned below are quite simple and they have been used successfully by most users. Make sure that you create a backup of all your important files, documents, pictures and videos, just in case anything goes wrong. Also, make sure that your device is charged at least 70% before proceeding with any of the rooting methods.

Method 1: CF Auto Root

When it comes to rooting Samsung Galaxy smartphones, there is no more popular method than CF Auto Root. Coming from XDA developer Chainfire, this is simply the best rooting method that you will come across on most Samsung Android devices. This particular method is known for its reliability and ease, since it can root devices in just several minutes.

CF Auto Root is basically a rooting package that can be installed using a PC software on the Galaxy S5. The ODIN PC software is quite easy to use and should work on most Windows PCs. Aside from a Windows PC, you’ll also need a micro USB cable to connect your Galaxy S5 to your PC.

Step 1

Download and install the Samsung Galaxy S5 USB drivers on your Windows PC if you don’t already have them installed. If you have the Samsung Kies software installed, then you don’t need to install the drivers. You can get the drivers here. Once downloaded, install the exe file like any other PC app.

Step 2

Download the CF Auto Root package on your PC using this link. You need to download the root package for your specific model or carrier. If you don’t know your model number, you can check it from the About device menu in the Settings app.

Step 3

Go to the Settings app. Tap on Developer options and make sure that the USB Debugging option is enabled. If you don’t see a Developer options menu, go to the Settings app, select About device and keep tapping on Build number until you see a Developer mode has been turned on popup message. You’ll have the Developer options menu in the Settings app.

Step 4

Extract the CF Auto Root file that you downloaded earlier on your PC.

Step 5

Switch off your Galaxy S5 and hold the Volume Down, Power and Home buttons simultaneously until you see a menu on the screen. Press the Volume Up button to enter into download mode.

Step 6

Open the ODIN app on your PC from the folder that you extracted earlier.

Step 7

Connect your Galaxy S5 to your PC using a micro USB cable. Make sure you connect the cable to your PC first and then to your Galaxy S5. If successfully connected, the box below ID:COM will turn Blue.

Step 8

Click on the PDA button and select the CF Auto Root file from the folder that you extracted earlier. The file will have a .tar.md5 extension.

Step 9

Make sure that the Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time options are checked and the Re-Partition option is not checked.

Step 10

Click on the Start button to being the rooting process. The process might take a while and once completed, you’ll see a PASS message in ODIN. That’s it! Your Galaxy S5 will now reboot and you’ll have root access.

Method 2: Towelroot

CF Auto Root has been the only major rooting method for the Galaxy S5 for a long time, but Geohot’s Towelroot has made rooting much easier on the Galaxy S5. Towelroot has become quite popular over the last few days, and users have been impressed at what this simple app can do.

Basically, the app lets you root your smartphone without using your PC. You just need to install the apk file on your Android device and Towelroot will do the rest. If you’re looking for an app that doesn’t involve any complex procedures, then this is probably your best option.

Step 1

Go to Towelroot’s official website and download the apk file by clicking on the Orange Lambda icon.

Step 2

Open your Settings app, go to Security and make sure that the Unknown sources option is enabled.

Step 3

Connect your Galaxy S5 to your PC using a micro USB cable and click on Open folder to view files in the AutoPlay popup.

Step 4

Step 5

Launch any file manager on your Galaxy S5, navigate to where you transferred the apk file and tap on it.

Step 6

Click on the Install button and wait for the installation process to complete.

Step 7

Click on the Open button to launch the app.

Step 8

Click on the Make it ra1n button and wait for the app to complete the rooting process. Once the process is complete, you’ll see a Thank you for using towelroot! message and your device will reboot. That’s it! You have successfully rooted your Galaxy S5.

Conclusion

The Galaxy S5 is Samsung’s latest flagship Android smartphone, and with the device’s hardware and software features, you can’t ask much more from Samsung. However, you can still improve your device’s performance and open up several additional possibilities by gaining root access. While rooting is considered a relatively risky process, millions of users have successfully rooted their Android devices without any problem and the methods mentioned above have also been extensively tested on the Galaxy S5.

Whether you want to flash mods on your Galaxy S5 or you just want to install root enabled apps from the Google Play store, you can easily root your device using one of the methods mentioned above. Method 1 has been quite popular over the years as it has been used successfully for rooting various Galaxy smartphones and it is probably the most reliable method. However, if Method 1 didn’t work with your device or you’re looking for a method that can root your smartphone directly, then Method 2 is possibly the ideal option. Whichever method you choose, make sure that you follow all the instructions correctly on how to root Samsung Galaxy S5, and feel free to shoot any questions below!

Which are those applications that would make my GS5 better than the iphone.

” While the Galaxy S5 does have some incredible features, you can learn how to root Samsung Galaxy S5 to receive even more features. Only after rooting your device will you be able to unlock the true potential of your smartphone ”

Hi Jose,
Which apps will make your GS5 better than the iPhone will really depend on your tech needs. I recommend that when you have some time you browse through apps you can use on a rooted Android phone and see which ones make your phone better than the iPhone, in your opinion.

Hi Ryan,
Looks like you are stuck in a boot loop. Please try the following. =-)

1. Set the phone into recovery mode. First turn the Power OFF, then by holding down the Volume Up+Home and Power button at the same time.
2. Once in recovery mode screen, choose “Wipe Data /Factory Reset”.
3. Lastly choose “Reboot System”.
4. Then it may boot normally without bootloop.

If the bootloop problem still exists, then you need to try to restore the phone’s original system files.

Hi I just followed the instructions to root my S5 and everything appeared to work fine, I got the PASS message in ODIN but now my phoine is showing the following messages and I can’t get it to do anything
Recovery Booting
RECOVERY IS NOT SEANDROID ENFORCING
Set Warranty Bit : recovery

Please help as I can’t use my phone at all, even after taking out the battery and rebooting it still brings up this message

It’s worth noting that the AT&T version, with the updates that most people will have by now (anything past 5.0), are locked down and un-rootable. I bought one after reading this, which seems all “hey no problem lots of easy methods”. Not so for the AT&T version, though.